Man gets 6 years in prison for Old Town home invasion in which victim’s life ‘changed forever’

BANGOR, Maine — The elderly Old Town woman who was the victim of a home invasion in December was so traumatized by the event that she cannot return to the home she had lived in for 78 years, her children told a judge Thursday at the Penobscot Judicial Center.

“My mother’s life changed forever when John Taylor broke into her house on December 8,” the victim’s weeping daughter told Superior Court Justice Kevin Cuddy at Taylor’s sentencing. “She is unable to go back in the home she has lived in her whole life.”

The Bangor Daily News is not naming the victim or members of her family who spoke about the impact the crime has had on her. It is the practice of the BDN not to identify the victims of crime.

The elderly woman, who slept in a hospital bed and used oxygen and a walker, continued to live independently until the break-in, family members said. She did not appear in court Thursday.

Cuddy said Thursday that he “reluctantly” accepted the plea agreement between Michael Roberts, deputy district attorney for Penobscot County, and defense attorney Joseph Belisle of Bangor that called for Taylor to serve six years.

The daughter and son of the victim urged the judge to suspend none of Taylor’s sentence. On behalf of their mother, they also asked Taylor to tell officials what happened to the jewelry that had been handed down to her.

“That’s all she wants,” the victim’s son said.

Roberts said after the sentencing that while some of the woman’s stolen jewelry has been recovered, the heirloom rings have not been located.

Taylor faced up to 10 years and a fine of up to $20,000 on each count.